Shannon Spake

Shannon Spake (born July 23, 1976) is a pit reporter and host for NASCAR on TNT and the Hornets on FanDuel Sports Network Southeast. Spake also hosts the Sons & Daughters Podcast. Spake previously worked for Fox Sports as a host for NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Race Hub, and a sideline reporter for coverage of the NFL on Fox, Fox College Hoops and Fox College Football. Prior to Fox Sports, she worked for ESPN where she contributed to SportsCenter with pre and post-game reports, and also worked as a sideline reporter for SEC on ESPN basketball games as well as college football games.

Career

Before coming to ESPN, Spake worked at the Speed Channel, where she co-hosted NASCAR Nation in its second version (June through November 2005) and was a reporter in its first (February through June 2005). She also co-hosted Back Seat Drivers, a talk show, with online columnist Marty Smith. Her previous on-air jobs included those at WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Carolina Sports and Entertainment Television.

From 2007 to 2013, Spake was a NASCAR pit reporter for the network and contributed to both NASCAR Countdown and NASCAR Now. For the 2008 season, Spake was a full-time pit reporter for Nationwide and Sprint Cup races aired on ESPN. She would continue this role until ESPN lost the broadcast rights to NBC Sports beginning with the 2015 season. On August 13, 2013, Spake agreed to a multi-year contract extension with ESPN.

Before becoming an on-air reporter, she worked for Nickelodeon, CBS (on The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel), and MTV as a production assistant.

Spake grew up in Sunrise, Florida. She is a graduate of Piper High School and Florida Atlantic University. She received her Bachelor's degree in Communications from FAU.

In 1999 she served as an intern for the Miami-based radio talk show host Neil Rogers.

It was announced on July 6, 2016, that Fox had hired Spake to serve as a sideline reporter on their college football and basketball broadcasts, as a contributor to NASCAR Race Hub, and as a sideline reporter for select NFL broadcasts.

On February 13, 2017, Spake was named the new co-host of NASCAR Race Hub, working alongside Adam Alexander, replacing Danielle Trotta. Spake also hosted the NASCAR RaceDay pre-race broadcast for Fox's NASCAR coverage on Saturdays and Sundays.

In 2017, Spake was the voice of Shannon Spokes in the Pixar film Cars 3.

On July 12, 2024, it was announced that Fox and Spake had parted ways. Spake moved over to NASCAR Digital Media/TNT Sports to host NASCAR Inside The Playoffs. In June 2025, Spake announced she was launching the SPAKE UP Podcast. Spake also became the pre and post-race show host for NASCAR on TNT's new coverage starting in 2025. In 2026, Marty Smith joined TNT as their pre and post-race show host and Spake switched to pit reporting for TNT. It was her first time pit reporting in NASCAR since 2013 when she was with ESPN.

Personal life

Spake gave birth to twins, Brady and Liam, on January 1, 2010.

Despite having corrective scoliosis surgery at age 12, she is active in the endurance sports community, having competed in four full marathons and seven 70.3 Ironman events as well as many shorter distance triathlons.